


Count on me

by BooBooTheAbsoluteFool



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Crying, Cuddling & Snuggling, Eating Disorders, Everyone else except Hyunjin and Minho are only mentioned, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Minor Injuries, Multi, Nightmares, Not Beta Read, Panic Attacks, Sad with a Happy Ending, Sexual Harassment, Sickfic, no editing we die like men
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-09
Updated: 2020-07-17
Packaged: 2021-03-04 20:13:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,539
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25172170
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BooBooTheAbsoluteFool/pseuds/BooBooTheAbsoluteFool
Summary: There's only four words that mean so much more than i love you, and those words are I'm here for you.All chapters contain Minho and Hyunjin comforting each other in different situations, that i got from a tumblr post with hurt/comfort dialogue prompts.
Relationships: Hwang Hyunjin & Lee Minho | Lee Know, Hwang Hyunjin/Lee Minho | Lee Know
Comments: 4
Kudos: 80





	1. I will always come

**Author's Note:**

> Sentence: "Can you please come and get me?"

The music was blasting from the speakers, bouncing off the walls, making it near impossible to even hear your own thoughts. The obnoxious beats were getting louder and with them, the people got more energetic if that was even possible. 

Minho felt a headache forming and rubbed his temples. 

To be fair, the few shots he downed were to blame just as much as the music was. Minho wasn't a lightweight. He wasn't drunk, unlike many of the others here, but he somehow seemed to be feeling worse than them. That wouldn't have been the case if he was actually having fun. Unfortunately, luck wasn't on his side today. 

The midterms exams were finished and after two weeks of doing nothing other than studying and stressing out over their grades, the students were ready to let some steam off and what better way to do it than a party? Dancing like no one was looking, alcohol, shouting, making out and going further than that if you were in the mood. A high schooler's ideal weekend. 

If that high schooler wasn't Lee Minho. He preferred to spend the night in home, with his cats sprawled over him, watching some cheesy drama instead of socialising. People tired him out, angered him and in general, made him loathe humanity. 

So why was he here?

One of his best friends had practically begged him to come. Him and Hyunjin, the only other person who shared Minho's views on social gatherings. Hyunjin had declined with no second thoughts, whining about how exhausted he was and softly apologising when Felix's face fell. Knowing Hyunjin won't be coming and that Minho won't have anybody to stick to for the night, had Minho set on declining as well. But Felix gave him the sad puppy eyes that Minho couldn't resist and tugged at his sleeve. Minho was crumbling. He had glanced at Hyunjin, silently asking for help. The taller boy had smiled at him, a chuckle escaping his lips. 

"It won't be so bad for you to go. Maybe you'll enjoy yourself this time around, be positive! Me not coming shouldn't stop you."

And with a sigh, Minho accepted. He regretted it the moment Felix left his side, disappearing into the crowd after hearing his name being called out by someone. At least one of them would be having fun. Minho tried to entertain himself, to no avail. He wanted to leave. Felix wouldn't be mad at him for it. 

"Hey there, pretty boy."

Minho looked up, realizing whoever was talking was addressing him. 

"Come and have this dance with me."

The man, his appearance was not one of a teenager, had tattoos around his neck, traveling down his collarbones and to his chest. He had a nose piercing and his biceps was the size of Minho's head. That was someone he did not want to get involved with.

"I was just about to leave. Sorry."

Minho turned around, flinching when an arm blocked his vision, slamming into the wall and blocking him from moving. 

"C'mon now, don't leave me hanging. We can forget about the dance and do something more interesting…"

The guy got too close for comfort, his face mere inches away from Minho's. Minho scrunched up his nose, the scent of cheap beer on the guy's breath hitting him. 

"I'm really not interested."

"Playing hard to get, huh? Let loose and let me lead."

The hair on the back of Minho's neck stood up, sending goosebumps through his entire body and as the guy's free hand slipped underneath Minho's shirt, caressing his skin before moving to unzipping his jeans. Minho struggled to pull away, the guy pushing him against the wall and closing in on him.

"Let go of me!"

The guy slammed his mouth against Minho's, biting down on his lower lip and drawing blood. Minho's eyes frantically shifted from side of side until they landed on a glass on the nearby table. Minho reached for it and smashed it on the guy's head. He yelped, backing away.

"Why, you little-"

Minho kneed him in the gut and kicked him in the balls for a good measure. The guy curled up on himself and Minho ran out of the house. His feet carried him to a park and he collapsed on one of the benches. The cold air and the adrenaline rushing through his veins making him shiver. He didn't have his keys on him and he had told his parents he'll be sleeping over at Felix's and they can go out tonight. They weren't home. Minho didn't have anywhere to go. 

Hyunjin. 

Minho pulled his phone out of his back pocket and dialed Hyunjin's number, bringing it to his ear with his hand shaking. It felt like an eternity had passed by the time he heard a sleepy voice on the other end of the line. 

"Minho… dude, it's like, two in the morning, i will listen to you complaining about the party after I've slept."

Minho opened his mouth to answer, only to end up choking on air. He hadn't even registered how fast he was inhaling. He felt like there was not enough air in his lungs and his chest was tight. His ears were ringing. 

"Minho? Hello?"

"Hyunjin…"

"Hey, what's up? Are you alright?"

Hyunjin sounded more awake now and Minho heard shuffling, covers being thrown aside and the bed creaking as Hyunjin probably sat up.

"...Can you… please, come get me?"

"Where are you?"

"T-the park near that café you like… please, hurry up, I…"

"Hey, don't worry. I'm coming in ten minutes. Try to breath for me until then, okay? It's alright, I'm coming."

Minho nodded. Hyunjin couldn't see him doing that but just before he could voice it out, the line went dead and so did his phone as he ran out of battery. Minho stared at the screen shutting down and limpy dropped the phone next to him. He brought his legs to his chest, wrapping his arms around them and burying his head in his knees, making himself as small as possible. 

It was a blur. One moment he was doing his best on regulating his breathing, the other someone tapped his shoulder and he jumped up, startled. 

"Whoa, there. Sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. You look like a mess…"

Hyunjin cupped his check and Minho leaned into the touch. Hyunjin was frowning, worry evident on his features. Sweat was running down his face and he was a bit flushed. He had been running to get here quickly. He pulled away and Minho instantly began missing the warmth. Hyunjin turned around with his back facing Minho and crouched down.

"Hop on."

Minho didn't have the strength, or the wish, to refuse a piggyback ride. He slumped forward, his arms falling over Hyunjin's shoulders. Hyunjin stood up slowly, hands on Minho's thighs. He adjusted their position so Minho was higher up on his back and he had a better hold on him. 

"It's alright now. We're going home."

Minho dozed in and out of consciousness with his face hidden in Hyunjin's nape. Next thing he knew, he was on a soft surface and his shirt was being removed. He shot up in the bed, Hyunjin's bed and grabbed the wrists of the one lifting up his shirt, the jacket already gone. Embarrassment settled in as he saw it was Hyunjin. 

"Hey. It's just me. I figured you'd be more comfortable in pyjamas. You can change yourself. Sorry."

"Don't be. I'm out of it, you didn't do anything."

Hyunjin handed a neatly folded pair of pyjamas to Minho and he left to change in the bathroom. He stared at himself in the mirror. Hyunjin's clothes were swallowing him whole, the sleeves covering his hands entirely and the pants legs dragging behind him. He snorted. He looked ridiculous but it gave him a sense of safety. He walked back into the bedroom, Hyunjin had already layed down. 

"Thanks, Jin. If someone tried to drag me out of my bed in the middle of the night i would of had cussed them out."

"Thank god I'm not you, then."

Minho rolled his eyes, a smile creeping onto his face. The atmosphere was light and he was thankful Hyunjin didn't bring up his state and asked questions about it.

"Your loss. I've got great qualities. I will take couch."

"What? No."

Hyunjin dragged out the 'o', his tone whiney. He hit the space beside him a few times with a pout.

"You woke me up. I won't be able to fall asleep again unless i cuddle something and my pillow won't do today. Owe up to me."

"Fine. You're so clingy."

Minho laid down next to Hyunjin, one of his arms wrapping around Hyunjin's waist while two others went around his torso, caging him into an embrace. He didn't feel trapped this time. He felt protected. After a few minutes of silence and Minho listening to Hyunjin's heartbeat to lull himself to sleep, he spoke up quietly.

"I'm glad you came."

"I would always come for you. No matter where you are or what time it is."


	2. Skin and Bones

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning: Eating Disorder

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sentence: You need to eat something

The changes weren't drastic. They were moderate. 

That's why Minho hadn't noticed sooner. 

Or at least that's what he was telling himself in order to not fall into a pit of self blame. If he allowed all the thoughts that were telling him he was ignorant, that he didn't care enough, that he should've done something instead of just standing around, that he was too late to act now, that Hyunjin getting this bad was his fault, to get to him there will be no end to them. 

Succumbing to the voices that were trying to drag him into a dark state of mind was something he could not afford to do at the moment. He had to push them away so he can focus on helping Hyunjin. 

He recalled all the signs that were saying something was wrong. 

Hyunjin had started spending more time on his phone, reading posts on social media. They weren't allowed to do that so the backlash and negativity didn't affect them. They all did anyway. Sometimes even purposely looking for criticism. It wasn't difficult to find it. 

He had started skipping dinner. Apparently he had read in an article it's better for your body to not eat after seven pm. They didn't question his decision. It came across as practical and nothing more than that. 

Only now Minho realises, Hyunjin was using that as an excuse. Because he didn't eat anything after four pm had passed. 

He stopped drinking sodas. He didn't drink coke, or fanta, or pepsi, or anything that had a high sugar percentage. He drank plain water instead, two liters a day. 

His clothes were becoming baggy on him. Hyunjin had a habit of buying, or stealing from the other members, clothes that were slightly oversized. But the ones who were supposed to be a perfect fit for him, were starting to look oversized, too. 

He stopped wearing sleeveless shirts after his biceps had gotten smaller. Hyunjin didn't work out, not like Minho, Jisung, Chan or Changbin, but he was still toned from all the dancing and sports he had done as a kid. He had lost muscle mass.

His legs had gotten thinner. Hyunjin and Minho had always been on the thicker side, but while Minho didn't care about that, Hyunjin disliked his thighs. He had once shared with Minho how uncomfortable he feels when he's standing next to Jisung and Felix, because of how thin their legs were in comparison. Hyunjin got a lot of compliments from fans, members and staff about how he looked taller now, how his legs looked so long. He smiled, thanking them every time. 

He went on a diet. First, he cut off any junk and fast food. No pizza, no burgers, no chips, no popcorn, no cake. Second was getting rid of the high calories food. Third was reducing his portions to half of what he used to eat before. And finally, he went on a diet that consisted solely of fruits. 

His cheeks got hollow. That's when worry built up in Minho's gut. Whenever Hyunjin would smile, his skin would stretch awkwardly and when his expression was neutral, his cheekbones were too prominent.

He was getting tired easily. By the time they were done with practice, Hyunjin would be exhausted, sprawled on the floor and gasping for air. He and Minho used to stay even after everybody else had gone home and go over the choreography a few more times. Hyunjin didn't have the energy to do that anymore.

The final straw was when Minho had walked in on Hyunjin in the bathroom. He was standing in front of the mirror, eyes locked on his reflection, on his exposed ribs. Minho counted six perfectly visible ribs, sticking out and he would've probably seen more if Hyunjin had sucked his stomach in. Hyunjin had spun around, pure terror written on his face and pushed past Minho, not responding to him calling his name over and over again. Hyunjin had avoided him for the rest of the day. 

That's when Minho came to the conclusion; Hyunjin had been starving himself to lose weight right under their noses. And nobody had noticed.

Minho didn't know what he was supposed to do. Hyunjin would refuse to talk about it and if Minho were to bring it up to the rest of the members, he would be furious at him. 

And like a coward, Minho had kept quiet. 

That is until this very moment. They had just finished a pre-recording and while the others left to the cafeteria to grab a bite, Hyunjin had disappeared into the dressing room. Minho followed him. Hyunjin was on the verge of passing out. Minho shook him by the shoulders and his heart squeezed at how his fingers could trace his collarbones even through the shirt, and how Hyunjin's eyes were clouded. 

"Hyunjin. You need to eat something."

"...I ate a lot in the morning." A lie. So casually said, as if it's been rehearsed. 

"No you didn't. Just like you didn't yesterday, or the day before that, maybe even the entire week." Minho was getting frustrated. He wasn't sure if it was directed towards Hyunjin or himself. 

"You're talking nonsense. I ate. I got a little bit dizzy, that's all." Hyunjin stood up, wobbling a bit, and shrugged Minho's hands off. 

"You're going to keep this up in front of me, Hyunjin? What do you gain by pretending you're fine? The scale showing a few pounds less?"

This wasn't how he should go about. Minho shouldn't start a fight with Hyunjin. He composed himself, tuning out Hyunjin's scoff. 

"Hyunjinnie… come for a snack with me. Something small."

"...I don't want to."

"Please. I'm hungry… and i know you are, too. It's okay to eat a little bit."

Hyunjin's hunger and Minho's pleading eyes seemed to do the trick. Reluctantly, he followed Minho to the hallway and they took two chocolate bars. Hyunjin didn't eat all of it. Minho didn't say anything. Nor did he say anything in the next two weeks whenever Hyunjin would make excuses as to why he wasn't eating with the rest of them. What Minho did do, was offer Hyunjin to eat a bit. He never forced him to, instead gently reassuring him a bite won't make a difference to his weight. A Kit Kat turned into one third of a slice of cake, and that turned into a Sandwich. The water turned into tea. Hyunjin was slowly starting to eat again. 

Minho managed to convince Hyunjin to eat dinner with them. He finished everything, much to Minho's surprise and he seemed relaxed, laughing and joking around.

That same night, Minho was woken up by gagging. He found Hyunjin in the bathroom again, slumped over the toilet seat. Minho kneeled down next to Hyunjin and rubbed his back until he was done throwing up whatever he had consumed.

"Jinnie… why are you doing this to yourself? You're already skin and bones."

"Because i have to stay this way. I need to stay thin. I'm the visual, if i get fat again everyone will call me ugly and say i don't deserve the position, again."

"You weren't fat. You were healthy. Whoever was saying those things were jealous of you."

That's why they were banned from reading the comments on social media unless they were checked by the staff beforehand. People would say anything to bring them down and they let it get to them too easily. 

"Hyunjin, look at me."

Hyunjin had tear stains on his face and his eyes were bloodshot. He was pale and shaking slightly. 

"You are beautiful. You were beautiful before and you are now, but… right now, you're also not well. I'm afraid to touch you. You're that skinny. Do you like what you see when you look in the mirror?"

"No… i hate it."

Hyunjin shook his head and fresh tears started overflowing. 

"I hate how nothing fits me anymore, and how tired i am, i hate how everything hurts all the time, and I- i can't sleep because of how uncomfortable i am. The smell of food makes me sick and my stomach hurts so much."

Minho pulled Hyunjin to his chest, pressing a kiss to the crown of his head and rocked him back in forth, tightening his arms around Hyunjin's frame as his sobs increased in volume.

"I don't want to keep doing this. I want to eat normally and not have to lie and pretend in front of you guys. But I'm so terrified of gaining weight, I hate what I am right now but i hate what i was back then, too."

Minho shushed Hyunjin, shifting until he had the younger boy on his lap.

"I know it'll be hard. You don't need to go through this alone, i am right here. I will help you. Your mind is a mess right now, I know. It'll get better. I promise you. You'll be okay."

Minho didn't just promise that to Hyunjin. He swore to himself that he will help him heal. He couldn't prevent him from falling ill, but he can and will do everything in his power to make sure Hyunjin gets through this. No matter how long it takes, how difficult it would be, how many rebounds he would have, Minho will not stop until Hyunjin is okay again. 

The clock ticked. They stayed sitting on the cold tiles, Hyunjin's cries and Minho's cooing the only sounds in the room. 

He will be okay.


	3. Fear

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sentence: Hold my hand, you're going to be fine.

Hyunjin was, in retrospect, a scaredy cat. 

He admits to it. His dramatic demeanor also added onto his reactions whenever he was faced with something mildly frightening. 

A balloon pops? Hyunjin throws himself back like he's been shot and covers his ears as if it was loud enough to damage his hearing. 

Jisung is hiding behind the bed and jumps up to surprise him? Hyunjin starts trashing and clutches at his chest, whimpering afterwards.

A dog barks while he is walking Kkami at night? Ulsan Bolt would be sweating and nervously guarding his spot as the Earth's fastest man if he sees how quickly Hyunjin runs away. 

They're watching a horror movie with shitty cgi effects, and the red liquid that's splattering everywhere resembles tomato sauce more than it does blood? Doesn't matter. Hyunjin's screams could be heard in a two kilometre radios. 

In other words, Hyunjin was what would be considered a scaredy cat but it was mostly due to him over exaggerating. He was rarely genuinely afraid. 

He didn't have any deep-rooted fears in him and thank god for that. 

He also didn't have any type of phobia. So when he was younger he wondered what could cause someone to be so deadly terrified of a certain thing. There had to be some sort of reason for it. Maybe a traumatic experience in the past. Hyunjin just couldn't comprehend how someone could be born claustrophobic, arachnophobic, hydrophobic or whatever-else-phobic. 

But Hyunjin didn't dwell on those thoughts. He forgot about them, actually. That is until he met Minho. 

Minho was the opposite of Hyunjin. In the sense that he was brave and didn't get startled easily. Sure, he had his moments when he'll jump, much like Hyunjin does, solely for entertainment in front of the cameras, but behind them it was almost a challenge to get a reaction out of him. He was the one Hyunjin clung to during the films, complaining about his shouting. He was the one who stared blankly whenever someone tried to prank him by jumping out of nowhere. 

He was also the one deadly terrified of heights.

Jisung and Felix weren't comfortable with them either but with Minho it was a whole new level. 

Acrophobia, he had told them.

In Jisung and Felix's case, they didn't want to fall. While for Minho, the thought of a high place by itself had him sweating. 

And Hyunjin didn't know how he could help him if it was ever necessary. Because he didn't understand phobias. And he didn't know how Minho would react so he wasn't prepared. 

His worries were buried as it turned out, he didn't need to stress over it. A situation that put Hyunjin on the spot didn't occur. There was always someone next to Minho who was more knowledgeable of how to help him when it came to it.

So, Hyunjin forgot about that, too. 

Until today that is. 

They are filming for a new variety show produced by Mnet. They had flown all the way to China for it and so far, Hyunjin has been enjoying his stay in the country. Even when they didn't have a schedule he spent all of his free time exploring it. 

Today, they were filming their next activity for which they were seperated in teams of two. Hyunjin was with Minho. The staff had blindfolded them to lead them to the location and Hyunjin was a tiny bit anxious about it but still excited. 

When they took the blindfolds off and his eyes adjusted, Hyunjin gasped. In front of him was a bridge. A glass bridge to be precise. Hyunjin glanced down and his eyes widened. This had to be at least close to 1,000 feet up in the air. Just saying the number in his head sounded ridiculous. 

"This is the Zhangjiajie Glass Bridge. You two need to cross it before we continue with the next activity." The staff informed them.

"That's the easiest thing we've had to so since we started filming. Let's go…" Hyunjin trailed off when he spun around and saw Minho. The gears in his head took a second to start turning. "Oh, no. Wait."

Hyunjin was by his side in an instant. Minho was ghostly pale and his was frozen on the spot. Hyunjin was concerned if he was even breathing. In order to check, he touched Minho's chest and yes, he was breathing, but his heartbeat was going at a rate that if it sped up more his heart might as well burst like a rabbit's.

"Calm down." Hyunjin winced internally. That was the last thing you were supposed to say to someone who was freaking out. "We just have to cross it. It'll be over before you know it."

"No…" Minho shook his head and his voice was so small Hyunjin couldn't believe it was the same person. "I can't. No, i can't. There's no way, i…"

Of course Mnet would do this. They had to know about how bad Minho's phobia is and they set this up perfectly to get views by putting this in the teaser for the show. Hyunjin mentally cursed the producers, the directors, the staff and absolutely everybody who knew of this. He wanted to call it quits and refuse to film any further for Minho's sake, but that would bring the company problems and it could negatively affect the group's reputation. They were between a rock and a hard place. 

Minho was clenching his jaw. He was aware of that, too. Whether they wanted to or not, they had to cross that bridge. 

Now Hyunjin really wished he had done some research or at the very least made the effort to ask Chan what he should do if Minho needed him. He was practically useless like that.

However, Hyunjin wasn't going to allow his previous ignorance to prevent him from supporting Minho right now. 

"Hey," He spoke softly, reaching for Minho's hand and gently holding it in his own. "hold my hand, you're going to be fine."

"I will be right next to you the entire way."

Minho took in a deep breath, intertwined their fingers and nodded.

They were moving slowly. More than slow if there was a word for it. Regardless, Hyunjin didn't rush Minho at all. Some of the staff and cameramen opened their mouths to, presumably, tell them to hurry up and Hyunjin glared at them with intensity that could burn a hole through their skulls.

"You know what I'm dying to try? A mooncake, or… nah, I'm not gonna attempt to pronounce. Mooncake is on my bucket list." Minho hummed in response. Pointless chatter to take a part of his mind off of how high they are seemed to work. 

"Oh! By the way, i binged a few concert dvds of- guess which senior."

"GOT7?" Minho tried. They were already halfway through. 

"Nope. EXO. El Dorado has been stuck in my head since. I literally dream of it."

Minho laughed softly, the action making him bend his head out of habit. Bad move. He went as still as a board and his grip on Hyunjin's hand tightened so much, Hyunjin grimaced, tempted to squirm a way. Minho's breathing was rigid and Hyunjin had to lift his head up by the chin to tear his eyes away. 

"...My answer left a big Impression as well, though." Hyunjin continued, tucking Minho closer. "It was calming. Sentimental. Got me teary eyed." Hyunjin began humming the melody and eventually, Minho took a hesitant step forward. 

Minho took over humming the melody and Hyunjin sung the lyrics in a near whisper. By the time they finished the song, they had crossed the bridge and only when they were a good distance away from it did they let go. Hyunjin's hand was almost blue and it would definitely bruise.

Minho looked guilty. "I'm sor-"

Hyunjin waved the apology off before Minho even finished saying it. "I should've expected that holding your hand will end up like this. You're evil. The things we do for love."

Minho teasingly pushed him by the shoulder. A second later, he lazily wrapped his arms around Hyunjin's waist and pressed his forehead in the crook of his head. "That was fucking terrifying." He breathed out. 

Hyunjin patted Minho's back a few times before settling on loosely holding him around the shoulders. "I know. You did great. I'm proud of you."

"Will you be there to hold my hand on the way back?"

"Not only then,

Always."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Claustrophobia: irrational and intense fear of tight or crowded spaces.  
> Arachnophobia: intense and unreasonable fear of spiders and other arachnids such as scorpions.  
> Hydrophobia: An irrational fear of water, to drink or swim in it.   
> Acrophobia: intense and irrational fear of heights.  
> Zhangjiajie Glass Bridge: A skywalk bridge in Zhangjiajie, Hunan, above the Wulingyuan area. The bridge, built as an attraction for tourists, is glass-bottomed and is transparent. When it opened it was the longest and tallest glass bottomed bridge in the world. It's measurements are; 430 metres (1,410 ft) in total length and 6 metres (20 ft) in width, and is suspended about 300 metres (980 ft) above the ground.  
> Mooncake: Moon Cake is a traditional Chinese food for Mid-Autumn Festival. It is round, which symbolizes family reunion. It is also a sacrificial offering to Moon God on Mid-Autumn Festival. 
> 
> The songs by EXO that were mentioned (wyd if you haven't heard them before):  
> El Dorado - https://youtu.be/DODGBiwn8Lw  
> My Answer - https://youtu.be/B05FP78XlRA


End file.
